Frictional Games, the studio behind Amnesia: The Dark Descent and SOMA, is teasing its next project.
Despite being upfront that the studio will have something to announce soon, the only thing shared regarding the tease is a website titled “Next Frictional Game.” Visiting the site will greet you with a blinking white light, but not much else.
This new website isn’t the only thing fans have to go off of though, as in 2016 the developer revealed that it started development on two new projects. Codenamed Secret 1 and Secret 2, Frictional has spent a lot of time teasing what’s in store. Part of what went into the studio’s planning for future titles was a desire to grow past simply being known as the horror indie developer.
“In order to combat this issue, we’re thinking about differentiating the games we make a bit more. So, if we make another sci-fi game, we’ll probably tone down the horror elements and make the sci-fi narrative more prominent. The reverse would be true if we made a new horror game. The idea is that this’ll not only let us reach a new and wider audience, but also minimize the risk that people will mix up our games, and instead they’ll see them as separate entities.”
In an interview with Gameranx, Frictional creative director Thomas Grip elaborated on what this means for the future. He says fans can definitely expect to see heavy atmosphere in upcoming games, though one title will explore the developer’s storytelling abilities while the other is set to be “a proper horror game.”
Still, with Frictional’s impressive past in mind, there is a lot to be hopeful for. SOMA was praised for its stronger commitment to telling stories and immersive qualities. Amnesia: The Dark Descent, arguably one of the most talked about games of the past decade, helped kickstart lets plays on YouTube in 2010.
